All I Want For Christmas Is a New Roof?

What are you wishing for this Christmas? One Ohio florist is getting a new roof that he hopes will not only be strong enough to withhold the weight of Santa Claus, but also to prevent any further rain from damaging his flower shop.

Roger Morgan, owner of Flowers Designed by Roger in Lancaster, Ohio recently lost his roof to heavy Ohio rains-more than 2 inches in a single night! He arrived at his shop on October 17th at 6:30 a.m. to find that his roof had a serious leak. There were a few ceiling tiles on the floor and some water dripping in. But, concerned about the casket spray he had due for a customer at ten that morning; he simply grabbed a bucket and moved a few plants out of the way. He had no idea how much worse the situation would get before the day was over.

A bit later in the morning, a couple more tiles fell from the ceiling, so Morgan propped up a makeshift sign instructing his customers to please use the side door due to a roof emergency. Then, as he and his employees placed a few more buckets under the drips, they heard a frightening cracking sound coming from the ceiling followed by the sound of roaring water. Morgan yelled, "Let's run for the back door," and he and his employees escaped safely.

You would think that an event like that would shut down operations for the day, but Morgan knew he had a grieving family waiting for that casket spray. After firefighters came to shut off gas valves to the building, Morgan asked them to help him find a place for the designer to finish the spray. They set up a temporary design table and kept right on working.

Morgan was fortunate to have a good business insurance policy that paid for the roofing repairs as well as payroll expenses for the month. He was also lucky that the cave in didn't occur over his business office where his records were kept. And, Lancaster, Ohio residents were lucky to have such a dedicated florist in their area. Morgan isn't planning to close his store while repairs are made. Instead, they'll continue working out of the undamaged side of the store.

Morgan expects his sales to slack off during the renovation since his front entrance will remain closed. However, he's placed a sign on the door saying, "Yes, We're Open" and an "Open" sign on the back door.

With some luck and speedy workmanship, Morgan will likely be up and running at maximum efficiency by Christmas...just in time for all those holiday centerpiece and gift orders!

Wesley Berry is member of the American Academy of Floriculture (AAF) and President of Wesley Berry Flowers, a successful multi-million dollar floral business that was established in 1946. As a member of the Henry Ford Hospital Community Relation Board he has contributed to the community at large. He owns both a brick and mortar and an internet flower delivery business. Visit Wesley Berry Flowerson the web at www.800wesleys.com.

10 Most Recent Articles Written by Wesley Berry, AAF

The History And Traditions Of Easter
Written by: Wesley Berry, AAF |
Distributed: 2009-03-03 |
Word Count: 1142 |
Page Views: 4134
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 2.36
Easter, the Christian festival commemorating the resurrection of
Christ, was the earliest feast day decided upon by the ancient
Christian Church. Like its Jewish predecessor Passover, it is a
movable feast, based on the lunar calendar rather than falling on
the same Sunday every year. It is a joyous festival and a time of
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Valentine's Day Is The Perfect Opportunity For Romancing Your Loved One With Flowers
Written by: Wesley Berry, AAF |
Distributed: 2009-01-01 |
Word Count: 396 |
Page Views: 3332
| Votes: 8 |
Rating: 1.25
It's a sad fact that the American culture lacks in romance-a
recent survey conducted by Brusking/Goldring Research for the
Society of American Florists (SAF) revealed just how bad the
situation is. According to the survey, only 19 percent of men
rate themselves as at least a seven on a scale of one to 10. Even
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or significant others as at least a seven.

Valentine's Day Flower Sales
Written by: Wesley Berry, AAF |
Distributed: 2009-01-01 |
Word Count: 438 |
Page Views: 4161
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 2.60
77 percent of florists reported that their Valentine's Day sales
in 2006 rose by an average of 16.2 percent. With numbers like
that, it seems more and more people are beginning to understand
the power that flowers have to make those we love see just how
important they are to us.

Pamela Anderson Can Have A White Christmas With Holiday Party Flowers
Written by: Wesley Berry, AAF |
Distributed: 2008-12-01 |
Word Count: 333 |
Page Views: 3941
| Votes: 4 |
Rating: 2.50
Having recently married, it's likely that Pamela Anderson will
want to host a Christmas party with her new husband, Kid Rock.
If that's the case, she needn't worry that her home in sunny
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no snow outside, she can bring a touch of white inside with
gorgeous white Christmas arrangements.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...With Flowers!
Written by: Wesley Berry, AAF |
Distributed: 2008-11-25 |
Word Count: 443 |
Page Views: 3631
| Votes: 10 |
Rating: 1.60
Which holiday is the biggest for flower sales? I'll bet you're
thinking Valentine's Day or Mother's Day. Well, those two are
certainly big, but it's Christmas that draws more customers
into flower shops than any other holiday. Perhaps that's
because flowers bring a festive feel to any room they adorn
while also making people feel happy and welcome.

Hilary Duff May Choose An Artificial Christmas Tree This Year
Written by: Wesley Berry, AAF |
Distributed: 2008-11-03 |
Word Count: 385 |
Page Views: 3421
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 2.80
According to two separate reports, more Americans are choosing
plastic trees over fresh, live trees. The U.S. Department of
Agriculture Economic Research Service reported that sales of
authentic trees hit their peak four years ago at $517 million,
and an ABC News/Washington Post poll indicated that 58 percent of
people in the United States purchase fake Christmas trees.

Gear Up For Thanksgiving With Fall-Themed Flowers
Written by: Wesley Berry, AAF |
Distributed: 2008-09-23 |
Word Count: 412 |
Page Views: 3835
| Votes: 6 |
Rating: 2.17
The holidays are fast upon us and your florist is undoubtedly
beginning to display beautiful fall flower arrangements and
products just in time for Thanksgiving. And, since florists who
responded to a recent Society of American Florists (SAF) survey
chimed in to say that 27% of them had higher Thanksgiving sales
in 2005 than they did in 2004, you're bound to see an even
greater offering of autumn beauty than you did last year.

Fourth Of July Flowers
Written by: Wesley Berry, AAF |
Distributed: 2008-06-25 |
Word Count: 429 |
Page Views: 8566
| Votes: 13 |
Rating: 2.00
Your Fourth of July celebration could begin and end with a real
bang when you use flowers to accent and decorate the day. If
you're thinking you need to stick with the traditional red,
white, and blue carnation arrangements you normally see on
Independence Day, think again! Flowers come in so many varieties
and they're so easy to customize to the occasion that the
possibilities are endless.

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Distributed: 2011-11-10 |
Word Count: 987 |
Page Views: 4451
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 1.00
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Distributed: 2011-11-09 |
Word Count: 945 |
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Distributed: 2011-07-28 |
Word Count: 636 |
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Distributed: 2011-07-26 |
Word Count: 525 |
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Written by: Barbara Wulf MS, ACC, CPCC |
Distributed: 2011-07-24 |
Word Count: 678 |
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Written by: Dan Lok |
Distributed: 2011-07-05 |
Word Count: 477 |
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Distributed: 2011-06-30 |
Word Count: 470 |
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Salon and spa owners need to combine their marketing plan
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Word Count: 413 |
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Word Count: 640 |
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